‘I don’t support ICE’: gas station refusal ignites debate over denying service to federal agents
A string of recent incidents in which ICE agents and Department of Homeland Security leadership have been refused service at corporate gas stations and hotel chains has raised questions about...
By Fox News · Fox News
A string of recent incidents in which ICE agents and Department of Homeland Security leadership have been refused service at corporate gas stations and hotel chains has raised questions about whether private businesses can lawfully deny service to federal law enforcement officers. The incidents — including ICE agents who were turned away from hotels and a Border Patrol commander being denied service at a gas station — have prompted debate over whether such refusals amount to lawful private discretion or illegal discrimination against federal law enforcement carrying out official duties. The most recent flashpoint unfolded at a Speedway gas station, where video captured by conservative activist Cam Higby showed U.S. Border Patrol Cmdr. Gregory Bovino being followed out of the store by a man identifying himself as a manager. Bovino himself was silent on the matter when asked by Higby among the crowd outside Speedway, while Homeland Security Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said similar situations had transpired at several different gas stations where agitators stalked agents . 'TASTES LIKE DEMOCRACY': SAN FRANCISCO BAKERY SELLS ANTI-ICE COOKIES When Higby asked the man why he refused Bovino service, he replied: "Because I wanted to. I don’t support ICE and nobody here does." The man remained silent when asked if he thought it was legal to deny service to federal agents based on their role, while the employee could be heard saying, "If it is [illegal] I personally don’t care." Fox News Digital reached out to Speedway and its parent company , 7-Eleven, for a response. An employee who picked up the corporate phone line said he would forward this reporter’s message to the "proper department," but no comment was returned. The incident follows other similar situations, including the case of a then- Hampton Inn-branded hotel in nearby Lakeville, Minnesota, where employees repeatedly refused service to ICE agents; canceling reservations and asking them to "pass on" the news they…